InFamous: Last Stand
by Kylandor
Summary: Cole MacGrath wakes up in a concrete prison a few years after activating the RFI and curing the Plague. In a world that has alienated conduits and with no contact with Zeke he will have to make his way to the head of the DUP in order to get answers and perhaps keep four other conduits from feeding the fire the Media started. Rated T for Violence, Drug Reference and Mild Language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Coma

"Sometimes I hear people talking about conduits like they're different. I say bullshit, cause there ain't anyone more human than Cole MacGrath." - Zeke Dunbar

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own InFamous, that was a masterpiece done by Sucker Punch.

* * *

"Wake up Cole." said a rough and familiar voice.

Almost instantly his eyes shot open, he was in a concrete cell with what seemed to be cement restraints.

His current circumstances however seemed to be the least shocking event, the very fact that he could see, hear, feel and smell told him he was still alive despite activating the RFI which should have killed him and every last conduit on Earth.

Cole looked around and noticed the room was rather bare with a single window looking on towards Cole's home, Empire City and it was partially rebuilt as well. The voice made itself known again only this time Cole was certain it was coming from his own mind and wasn't technically sound. A short electrical frequency was the method of communication and Cole traced it a small distance in the air before it seemed to disappear, the voice however was unmistakable, it was Kessler's voice, or rather technically his older self's voice.

"Ah good, you have awoken at a good time. There is somethin-" His elder self was interrupted as Cole sent a small pulse tracing the line, communicating back, he uses this method to relive the last memories of a recently deceased person to chase the echo but this was slightly different. Cole replied "Kessler, how the hell are you even able to talk to me. You're dead." The older Cole telepathically sent forth a slight chuckle as he said "I'm not Kessler, I'm you, Cole MacGrath. It has been many years but I am not the bastard who tore your life apart. Kessler however is a topic of importance because it seems that he only postponed mankind's extinction. He did not stop it."

Cole replied "I'm not exactly in a position to move about anyway, I've been testing these restraints and they're not moving. It's also a bit difficult to manipulate lightning if I can't move my fingers." The Older Cole replied "Break free and I will contact you later if you are unable to fix the problem. It shouldn't be too hard, just focus on your energy and then expel it in a single yet powerful blast, you do not need to move in order to do this. Be careful however, the building you are in houses a sizable security force trained and equipped specifically to fight conduits."

With that the telepathic communication ceased, Cole wondered if his informant was going senile as he hadn't told him what needs to be done in the first place. Focusing on the matter at hand Cole relaxed and began to build up the energy stored in his body and after a minute released it entirely, consuming almost all of his electricity stores though he did shatter his restraints, and blew a sizable hole in the concrete structure he was in and not a moment too soon as whichever building he was in, it's alarms just started blaring.

Dashing out the hole Cole noticed a group of heavily armed men opening fire from where he was about to land. Unluckily for them he didn't need to recharge in order to proceed into a Thunder Drop and that is the fate which awaited the gunmen below him as he slammed into the ground sending forth twice the power he generated to break free and killing the gunmen instantly, two of them close to ground zero were atomized entirely, their bodies and equipment vaporized into a blue ionized mist that faded, only one body had recognizable equipment as the rest were burnt beyond recognition.

On the soldier's uniform was an Insignia and an abbreviation.

Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P.)

Cole chuckled slightly, their acronym meant if someone was calling them by the acronym they would also be calling them a dupe.

Looking off towards Empire City and free from his restraints he realized he was in an orange prison jumpsuit, neither his backpack nor his Amp were anywhere in sight and if someone put them under his bed they probably don't exist anymore. Cole proceeded to climb a power grid pole nearby and once he reached the top he bean to speed across the wires like a train on a rail, heading towards the inner city as he noticed an explosion behind him which he turned his head back to see what happened and it seemed that someone sent a cruise missile at the entirely concrete prison that was now crumbling into the ground.

* * *

Two days later

* * *

Cole had changed into more fitting clothes after raiding what appeared to be a resurgence of the Reaper gang though minus the conduits among them.

A white shirt with blue short sleeves and a pair of yellow track pants and white running shoes, Cole had bought a phone with the spoils from the gangsters and dialed Zeke's number only to get a busy signal.

He tried again and it connected only for an unfamiliar voice to reply, saying "Cole MacGrath, so it seems the doctors were wrong, you seem to be able to move quite well for someone who was in a coma for several years." Cole replied "Who the hell are you and why are you using that phone?"

The woman on the other end replied "Mister Dunbar no longer required it, he got a little too overzealous with his opinions on Bio-Terrorists and he's now in a federal prison. As for me, my name is Brooke Augustine, head of the Department of Unified Protection, the people who hunt Bio-Terrorists such as you."

Cole chuckled a bit and then replied "You're not the first one to call me a terrorist but if you thought you could just take Zeke and have your way with him then you are sorely mistaken." Augustine replied "I'm not the one with custody over him right now, that job belongs with the FBI right now. However I wouldn't get too comfortable in Empire City if I were you, the DUP are pretty strong there. If you remain where you are now and surrender without a fuss then I won't mention the fact that Mister Dunbar is-" Something interrupted Augustine, it sounded like someone had slammed an aluminum chair against something as Zeke's voice came through on the phone, shouting "Don't listen to her, get your ass in hiding!".

Before Cole was able to respond he heard a loud yell of pain from Zeke and the call ended itself after that. Looking at his surroundings he noticed three armored vehicles surround him and several DUP regulars got out and formed a circle around Cole who grinned and said "Seriously? Is that all you're sending my way? You guys do realize I'm the conduit who took down the Beast."

With those words he immediately wiped out the front of him with a barrage of ice slags, exploding an two of the APCs in the process and then quickly darted into the cover of one of the smoldering APCs as the surviving DUP opened fire. Cole took down two of them immediately with well placed lightning bolts at their heads though he then noticed some launching themselves to flank him with concrete slags similar to how those mercenaries used ice to do the same back in New Marais (And also a power he possesses).

Cole reacted quickly, getting close to the landing DUP agents and began sending punches and kicks their way, his fists and legs charged with electricity which made it easier to actually injure them. Cole then sent a small charge of lightning at another DUP's gun, causing it to explode in his hands, ending his life as shrapnel tore into the agent's head. Cole quickly skirmished the remaining agents with simple ranged lightning bolts as he lacked the power to use anything bigger at the moment due in no small part to his flashy breakout.

Cole drained some power from the unexploded APC and proceeded into hiding once more.

* * *

Several Years later, Seattle, Washington State, USA

* * *

Cole quietly appeared in a small field of ionized air which resembled how Kessler teleported, he appeared on the space needle and was admiring the work of some graffiti on a flag over what seemed to be an ex-DUP base which had quite a few signs of battle damage, it seemed a conduit had disagreed strongly with the term Bio-Terrorist.

Crossing the country took time, it wasn't like he could walk though an airport without blowing up the metal detectors and furthermore the DUP had set up some type of conduit detectors in secure places such as airports and government buildings which meant Cole had to hoof it as also a reminder, cars exploded when he sat in them and unless he was riding in the back of a truck, he wasn't going to be hitchhiking anytime soon.

Oddly enough water was beginning to have less of an effect on him compared to his time in Empire City and New Marais. It still drained him of his power and caused a painful feedback but no longer was it an absolute necessity to avoid water at all costs seeing as he wouldn't be killed by the stuff (Or rather by a large amount of it. Although he needed less food and water when fully charged with power he still needed to eat and drink and a small amount wouldn't even tickle him as he was still able to enjoy a beer once in a while, whenever he beat the cash out of some drug dealer or DUP agent harassing people.).

His abilities had improved greatly as well and he managed to put together a few new gizmos he was eager to try out. Instead of building a new Amp from scratch he modified an old Calvary Sabre he bought at an Army Surplus Store to have several electrical wires placed from the grip and across parts of the blade which had some holes put into it to hold the wires which allowed him to charge the sword with electricity simply by holding it whereas with his old Amp he needed to consciously put electricity into his hand in order to charge it, with this he not only had the shock and awe of an Amp but also the piercing and slashing advantages of a sword.

He had also torn apart and modified a hunting rifle when it was unloaded (And thus having no bullets to explode upon contact with his hand) and with some help from another conduit who knew gunsmithing he placed several conductive wires across the barrel and linked to the trigger which was modified to not be able to move. In effect, he had built a lightning gun, allowing him to charge it up along with his own powers and had a small battery connected to the wires in place of a conventional ammo clip which meant he could charge it separately and if need be, drain power from the battery to heal or use more complex powers. With this he had mastered a means to execute precision strikes with both his powers and a customized scope which enabled him to make better advantage of stealth.

And finally around his left arm was a gauntlet similar in design to the one Kessler had, it was more crude in comparison but still held the purpose of amplifying his ability to store and discharge electricity as it could hold half as much as his own body on it's own and he could feed this into the battery pack of his Bolt Rifle.

So his new gadgets summed up was his Sword which was more or less a replacement Amp, his Bolt Rifle and his Power Gauntlet.

Cole closed his eyes and listened in, he intercepted and interpreted the radio signals coming in and out through their frequencies. Normally he wouldn't be able to do this but his gauntlet in addition to his own abilities acted as a receiver and by increasing his sensitivity to a specific electric frequency he could trace the signal. His gauntlet picked up the radio waves and translated them into electrical signals basically.

"This is Lieutenant Renault, we're closing in on the Bio-Terrorist Sniper, Rowe is following her and we're in pursuit but we might not make it on time. Please Advise."

Cole focused on this signal and tracked it, Cole assumed Rowe was one of the DUP who perhaps dashed ahead of his unit and he was pursuing another Conduit.

Cole proceeded to make a less covert approach to dealing with the main DUP unit and used lightning tethers to cross buildings like some comic book character whose name he didn't remember.

After a final tether he teleported above the APC and slammed into it with a thunder drop, sending it's occupants out unexpectedly though some survived. Cole quickly unslung his Bolt Rifle and decided this is a good day to test it out. Sending electrical charges through the wires connecting to the Barrel and Battery, the simple bolt was amplified threefold after passing the battery and into the barrel, sending a piercing shot of blue lightning right through the armor and out the other end of a DUP regular. A concrete armored DUP soldier suddenly dropped in from above, knocking Cole off the APC though the rifle was still in his hand, held tightly due to the electricity causing a magnet like effect, sticking the rifle to his hands when sending electricity through it to fire (which also produced a small recoil due to the strength of the pulse though not as much as an actual firearm.)

Cole made a short teleport to gain distance from the DUP Heavy and opened fire, focusing on trying to hit him in the head. Cole's shots from the Bolt Rifle were effectively semi-automatic since sending a persistent stream of energy would overheat and melt the barrel, making his new weapon useless should he attempt that.

Taking care in his rate of fire Cole slung the rifle over his shoulder and rapidly drew his Calvary Sabre and as soon as he gripped the handle it came out with the blade a slight blue shimmer as he rolled to the side to avoid a punch from the DUP Heavy and Cole then slashed at the Heavy's back, his lightning both increasing the cutting power of the blade and also making it nearly impossible to break, even against reinforced concrete armor. The blade slashed through the armor and drew blood from the Heavy who yelled in anger and turned 180, grabbed Cole and threw him into a building with a (recently) collapsed roof.

* * *

Cole flew clean through the walls though not enough to send the entire building crumbling down. Like his rifle his sword was glued to his hand until he sheathed it after stopping in a room full of spare Neon Signs, some of them weren't lit. Shaking his head slightly he looked around and saw flashes of Neon dart about with what seemed to be a skirmish between two Neon Conduits. A voice spoke to Cole, his elder self, only he could hear it.

"Abigail Walker and Delsin Rowe, both prime conduits. Delsin Rowe can absorb a limited degree of another prime conduit's abilities. Abigail Walker has absolute dominion over any Neon in her vicinity and stored in her blood after absorbing it. Subdue Walker without killing her if you can. As for Rowe take care not to let him get a strong grip on you or your powers will become his."

Cole didn't even bother to reply and didn't have the chance too as Fetch suddenly slammed into him with a burst of Neon, sending him into a lit Neon sign behind him, breaking it slightly though Cole regained his composure and sucked the sign dry of electricity and said "And I thought Nix liked it rough."

Cole sent a static blast forward, effectively a charged EMP which acted as an air shotgun, sending Fetch back a distance though she quickly regained her composure to avoid a chain whip attack from Delsin Rowe who was behind her. Delsin quickly said "The more the merrier."

Cole chuckled and said "Do we really need to fight? All three of us are conduits, we should be on the same side here." Delsin replied as he evaded a beam of neon from Fetch, saying "Been trying to tell her that for half an hour, how about helping me out here?"

Cole was about to say something when the DUP heavy jumped in from the hole that Cole's unplanned entry had made and he then charged at Cole.

Cole made a short teleport to gain distance and used his left hand, charged by the power gauntlet to send a supercharged Magnum Bolt at the heavy which disoriented the DUP agent slightly. Delsin caught on and sent a few neon shots at the DUP agent forcing said agent to turn his attention to Rowe only for a beam of neon from Fetch alongside a shot from Cole's Bolt Rifle both impact the Heavy's chest, blowing a hole clean through the soldier as he fell and his concrete armor broke off.

A purple colored burst of neon and electricity erupted from the fused hole of the DUP agent, vaporizing the body. Cole grinned and said "Cool.".

Delsin took a look towards Fetch who was no longer showing signs of hostility towards him and he then said "So, convinced I'm not DUP yet?"

The girl nodded and Delsin then said "So, can I get a handshake or something?" Fetch shot him a hostile glance for a moment and Delsin sighed and decided to take what he wanted, or rather needed. Making a quick dash he placed his hand on Fetch's forehead, finishing the power transfer he started before Cole appeared and just as he finished gleaning her memories a concentrated Static Blast sent him flying. Cole then said "Hey punk, I do believe no means no."

Delsin shouted in a bit of pain, having hit a Neon Sign. He stood back up and said "I needed to finish the, power transfer or whatever it is. That DUP Bitch Augustine put a bunch of concrete slags in my friends at Salmon Bay. I need to leech a bit of power from her to get the stuff out of them but in order to do that, I need to grab some more powers. You could help out you know?" Cole sighed and replied "I'll help out, but not the way you're asking. I don't trust you yet but if you do some good things, maybe I'll help you out. You do realize you could have told the girl exactly what was going on." Delsin shrugged and said "I tried, she preferred zapping over yapping." Fetch sighed and said "Still probably would have said no, but I would have given it some thought, we both have no love for Augustine. So, who're you?"

Cole shrugged and replied "Cole MacGrath, I can control lightning and Ice." Delsin shrugged whilst Fetch stared a bit in disbelief, saying "Wait, Cole MacGrath, as in the Patron Saint of New Marais? The Conduit who took down the beast?" Cole nodded and said "Yup, that's me. Apparently the RFI didn't kill me and all the conduits like we thought it would. It cured the plague though so we all came out ahead there." Delsin spoke, saying "Wait a minute, now I remember that name. I'm not so sure on Patron Saint of New Marais but I've heard of the Demon of Empire City, at least in the tabloids."

Fetch took a glance at Delsin who replied "What? It was all my brother let me read whenever he hauled me in for expressing my artistic talent."

Another voice spoke, saying "I hardly believe vandalizing Salmon Bay with spray paint is art."

The three conduits turned their attention to Delsin's brother, Reggie who had his gun aimed at Fetch who charged a bit of neon in her hand only for Cole to teleport between the two of them which caused Reggie to lose his cool temporarily and he fired his gun though the 9mm round didn't do much except cause pain for the conduit. Cole looked at Reggie and said "First, Ouch, keep your trigger finger calm. Second, nobody needs to start another firefight in here, this place looks like it's about to collapse from the last one and third, who are you?" Reggie replied "The name's Reggie, I'm Delsin's brother and also a cop." Delsin replied "Uh, yeah, technically he's my brother but he doesn't really do much except pay the bills and randomly shoot conduits when they teleport in front of him." Reggie snapped back, saying "Hey, he surprised me though I saw the News when the Empire City Incident happened though, this guy deserved it." Cole replied "Whoa, first of all, you don't know the whole story. Second, the person really responsible for the Ray Sphere I electrocuted and third there's a combination of the DUP and an FBI Agent named Moya who are blackmailing and strong-arming the media into scapegoating Conduits as being all evil. After the blast I did what I could to help the city recover, in time they accepted me as their hero even as the Military started bombing the city trying to take out the Ray Sphere. Long Story short, I found the damn thing, blew it up and then was forced to recuperate in New Marais after the Beast appeared until finally I took him out and cured the Plague that killed half the East Coast. Nobody's reporting on New Marais because of Moya."

Delsin then said "Okay, instead of chatting until the roof falls on top of us how about we go someplace more structurally stable, talk a bit, maybe let me have some of those lightning powers?"

Reggie said "The last thing you need is more things wrong with you." Delsin was about to reply when a creaking in one of the support beams promptly ended the conversation and convinced them to leave the building.

* * *

Two Hours Later

* * *

On the roof of another building it was only Delsin, Cole and Fetch as Reggie wasn't able to keep up with their agility.

Delsin was suggesting Fetch go after lifeline instead of wasting time on the dealers when Cole interrupted, saying "Whoa whoa, those Lifeline guys are just bitching about shit like every American has the right to. They're only ignorant because of the media. We start rampaging against them and we'll only confirm their fears that all conduits are evil. If we take down the drug dealers though we can actually do some real good though killing them is attracting the wrong kind of attention, the media keeps spinning it as random murders. We need to take them down alive and let the cops bust em."

Fetch replied "Those needle pushing bastards caused my brother's death, it's only fair they get what's coming to them." Delsin just let the conversation go on as Cole replied "Any other day of the week, I'd agree with you, but this isn't just your problem, they screw up the lives of millions of people not only here but in other countries where they have more power. If we take them in alive then the media won't have any killings to spin around, instead they'll just report police drug busts. Doesn't immediately help out but it gives them less ammo to shoot at us." Fetch didn't seem to care as she gave Cole the bird and dashed in neon out of sight. Delsin exhaled on purpose and then said "Well, I'm getting your point a bit. I guess I'll try and help her not get killed until she comes around I guess." Cole replies "Just be careful kid, there's a good chance the DUP don't give a damn about the difference between good conduits and bad conduits. I once said before it's not the powers that kill people, it's the people with the powers that kill." Delsin made a slight nod and said "Huh, who'd you tell that one to?" Cole replied "Some self-righteous Conduit who, ironically was preaching hate against conduits and formed a militia in New Marais to 'Purify' the city. I exposed him and eventually killed him."

Delsin shrugged and said "So, wanna help me keep Fetch under control or?" Cole shook his head slightly and said "That's your problem. My problem is Moya. The reason I came to Seattle was because I tracked her down here. I know she's here somewhere I just gotta keep digging around for information. When I find her I'm going to beat the shit out of her until she confesses the truth about New Marais and get it on tape, I've figured out how to make a camera that doesn't explode when I touch it." Delsin replies "So, you have drawbacks from your powers?" Cole nods and says "Yeah, too much water hurts like a bitch, bullets explode when I touch anything conductive leading to them, sitting in a Car eventually ignites the gasoline and blows it up and anything not insulated gets charged with a thousand watts of electricity fresh from my hand. This rifle on my back doesn't have any bullets, I made it so it has a battery my powers go through and get amplified, basically it's a lightning gun." Delsin replied "Well you could call it a Bolt Gun or Rifle, sounds cooler."

Cole grinned and said "Huh, we think alike a bit on the names. I also need to get some information on where Augustine is holding a friend of mine, his name is Zeke Dunbar, he's not a conduit but we've been friends long before I had any powers."

Delsin nodded and the two departed, Delsin smoke dashed into a vent to get to an even higher ground whilst Cole teleported off into the city, intent on finding Moya and beating out Zeke's location from her and then he'll pay a little visit to Augustine once Delsin feels free to do so, the more the merrier. Augustine may be smart to put an electric fence around the USTV News Tower to keep out most conduits but the damn thing would make Cole nearly invincible whilst climbing it.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Moya

"Sometimes I hear people talking about conduits like they're different. I say bullshit, cause there ain't anyone more human than Cole MacGrath." - Zeke Dunbar

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Foreword: I am aware of the DLC "Cole's Legacy" and consider it non-canon as it is a poorly crafted insult to InFamous fans everywhere. As such in this story and it's lines the DLC does not exist at any part of the line.

* * *

Cole was bent over looking down towards the USTV tower from the roof of a nearby building, having resorted to bio-leeching a DUP agent in order to find out where she was, normally Cole avoided doing that, it made him feel stronger yes but the thought of draining everything from someone in that method felt like he was stealing their soul as well as their life, something that just didn't rub him right though in times of duress it didn't matter (such as no nearby power source and he needed to recharge or a barrage of bullets and recently concrete overtake his healing factor). Still however he noticed something known by the DUP and Delsin as a Core Relay was nearby and after cracking open it's shielding with a Static Blast he drained it and realized the damn things had Blast Cores inside them which meant new powers for Cole.

And now Cole was about to test this new power out and he had the perfect name for it.

Comet Drop.

Leaping forward towards the ground he charged and altered his electricity that would normally form a Thunder Drop and instead of electricity there was a trail of ice from him as he slammed into a patrol of DUP, freezing the surrounding area and leaving them alive but motionless, this was a good way to avoid collateral damage to civilians.

Two APCs pulled up nearby with Remote Turrets and opened fire on Cole who dashed into the cover of a building from one APC and activated a Frost Shield to recharge off the kinetic energy the bullets charged into the said shield and then quickly sent from his power gauntlet a magnum bolt at the turret, blowing it to pieces with a single shot.

Rolling with his frost shield aimed at the other APC he recharged his gauntlet and repeated the charged magnum bolt shot, taking out the second turret just as a DUP Heavy slammed into him from behind, sending him into the front of the APC and causing it to dent slightly as DUP agents surrounded him.

Cole took advantage of both his teleport power and his new Calvary Sword to overwhelm the DUP singlehandedly, shifting from target to target and quickly slicing through them until an even more concrete armored DUP soldier withstood the sword's impact and punched Cole back a few feet and pulled from his back a Gatling gun. Cole quickly sheathed his blade and teleported into the cover of one of the APCs and decided a classic would help him here. Charging his hands with an incredible amount of power he had then teleported behind the Minigunner and slammed both Gigawatt Blades into where the soldier's Lungs, both of them, would be and the blades immediately smelted through the heavier armor and effectively vaporized his oxygen producing organs.

Cole noticed another squad of DUP land from presumably launching themselves with Concrete though Cole decided to use an Ice Launch to get behind them as they opened fire with horrible accuracy as not one bullet so much as scratched Cole's clothes.

Landing behind them he overcharged himself off a telephone pole and just as they turned to face him he sent a powerful electromagnetic vortex forward, creating basically a lightning tornado which sent the DUP far, far away.

Cole grabbed one of the electric fencing on the USTV Tower with his power gauntlet hand and overcharged himself enough to summon a massive bolt of lightning from the sky, smelting the otherwise armored roof of the tower but taking care not to overdo it lest he kill the person he needs to interrogate.

* * *

15 minutes later

* * *

Cole easily ascended the tower, the electrified building acted as a large rail which allowed him to simply dash upwards persistently whilst continuing to overcharge his body with electricity, Augustine's defenses around the tower were pointless against Cole MacGrath and although the Concrete Conduit was last seen on the bridge leading towards the Lantern District she wasn't his immediate concern right now.

But now his immediate concern had shifted to a very dangerous threat.

A sudden invisible force all too familiar with MacGrath slammed him back into the wall as Moya was nowhere in sight, instead there was Alden, the telekinetic from Empire City.

Like he said to himself the day he saw Alden jump from the bridge to the water, Alden was a conduit, same rules don't apply.

Alden's telekinesis began to control and contort the concrete and metal support around him to form another abomination similar but perhaps superior to the one Cole faced in Empire City. Cole shouted, saying "Alden, why the hell are you on their side?" Alden shouted back, saying "On their side? No MacGrath, after Empire City I made contact with the remains of the first sons, they welcomed me back after realizing that Kessler led them to ruin! I am not here to take the side of the DUP, I am here to destroy them. I've been waiting for you, knowing you would seek that FBI Bitch. I've kept her alive just for you as a reward should you beat me here. Consider this an initiation Cole, I am offering you a place in the reformed First Sons."

Cole immediately teleported to the side to avoid a barrage of debris sent forth by Alden whilst saying under his breath "Crazy Bastard."

His future self must be dicking around because he's had no warning about Alden nor is he getting any advice at the moment and after evading another barrage of debris Cole decided enough was enough and drew his Bolt Rifle and opened fire on Alden, using his senses to locate vulnerabilities in the Behemoth that he had constructed out of concrete, steel and wires. There was plenty of TVs and some power stations in this room to drain electricity from so Cole wasn't entirely outmatched though still it was tougher than his last fight with Alden as the old man had learned to better control his abilities even further than before and this time it wasn't scrap he was using.

Cole continued to roll, teleport and skirmish Alden's Behemoth until he managed to get to one of the power stations and overcharged himself on electricity and them sent forth a barrage of ice slags which severely damaged Alden's Behemoth though it broke free eventually at expense of collapsing parts of the roof which were actually an advantage to Cole now, another overcharge and he could send down an Ionic Storm on Alden's ass.

Alden became enraged and began reshaping one of the Behemoth's arms into a large concrete/steel sword and sent it down at Cole who barely managed to teleport to the side only for Alden to use his telekinetic abilities to rip the Bolt Rifle from Cole and toss it behind the Behemoth. Alden then shouted "Come on MacGrath, just like old times, back before you had any fancy toys!".

Cole rolled to the side to avoid another strike from the giant debris blade Alden formed only this time he then teleported onto the blunt back of the blade and dashed forward towards the head of the behemoth which contained Alden himself. Drawing his Calvary Sword and charging it with his remaining power he slammed it into the head, breaking it open though Alden remained unharmed inside, the Calvary sword was still intact but Cole wasn't about to risk it again and quickly slammed a lightning charged fist into Alden's face which caused the behemoth to collapse only for a telekinetic burst from Alden to send Cole back, ironically Alden had placed him near his Bolt Rifle which Cole quickly grabbed after sheathing his sword. Alden reformed the Behemoth but at half it's size, he was running out of energy quickly and it wasn't surprising since it's been almost a decade since he last fought Cole, age takes its toll even on Conduits and perhaps that was the main reason for his victory over Kessler aside from the fact that Kessler wanted Cole to kill him.

Charging himself from a nearby TV he began to skirmish Alden with the Bolt Rifle and evade bashes from debris formed fists and was now predicting him telekinetic attacks, evading invisible walls that were trying to slam him back or steal his weapon again. Alden bashed open a door along with a lot of walling around it, revealing a Power Station which Cole quickly teleported nearby and overcharged himself and teleported again to avoid a telekinetic blast.

Cole quickly used every last watt of energy in him to slam a supercharged Ionic Storm on Alden's Behemoth, smelting it and leaving a badly burned Alden in the middle of the crumbled Behemoth.

Cole walked up to Alden and held him up with a charged Gigawatt blade to his head, saying "Where is Moya, or better yet tell me where Zeke is being held."

Alden merely smiled and sent a telekinetic burst forward, having been holding back the entire time and did something that seemed impossible, even for a conduit.

He regressed in age right before Coles eyes, his wrinkles decreased in size until they tightened and then loosened, his protruding veins made themselves hidden under the skin and a short bob of white hair formed on Alden's head before it turned black. Alden stood there over Cole, aged 37 which was Cole's current age.

Cole stared at Alden, baffled as soldiers in familiar first son gear appeared out of nowhere, one appeared with Moya, her hands tied as well as her legs, held over his shoulder and he tossed the restrained, terrified and alive Moya at Cole, gesturing with a nod that he can have her. Alden spoke to the baffled conduit, saying "I would have died in Empire City Cole, that fall was too much even for me but only because of my advanced age. But then two people found me and treated my injuries, conduits like I but also different. One could manipulate paper and the other could control Concrete. You see I was unconscious for too long, I only awoke because the Beast destroyed Empire City, having rejuvenated my powers and saved me from death whilst I was trapped in a Coma. The woman, Brooke Augustine and her companion helped me only because her companion begged her. Her companion was ironically my granddaughter Cecil. I later learned after I recovered that Augustine betrayed her, I was enraged and chased after her only for Cecil herself to explain what had happened, Augustine tricked the Military that she had brought the other conduit in where both Cecil and Augustine knew it was a ruse so that the two wouldn't be shot dead. With the first sons influence I was able to help Augustine fund the DUP until I decided she had gone too far. I broke Cecil out and haven't seen her since, she said someone had been influencing her to be strong on her own. Someone you met, Delsin Rowe."

Cole replied "Nice sob story, what's your point Tate?" Alden replied "My point is that later on I discovered a Conduit who could control something beyond matter, he was different from first generation conduits and second generation conduits. He could manipulate any and all matter in general. Bend Space and Time. If there is anything as close in this life to God it is this conduit. He is in Seattle and he has managed to fool the DUP thus far, his powers allow him to force the Conduit Detector stations to clear him, reprogramming them to ignore his DNA whilst simultaneously draining them of a slight amount of power. He can absorb his energy from anywhere, from electricity, any form of matter such as smoke or neon, such powers you have encountered. I have been watching you ever since you encountered Rowe and gathered information from the DUP on Rowe."

Cole scoffed and replied "So what, he took pity on you and made you young again? If he has all this power why isn't he doing anything to stop the DUP, hell why isn't he a living example of the saying Power Corrupts, Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Alden laughed a bit before saying "He taught me how to see inside myself. You see Cole, telekinesis is much more than simply moving things with your mind. I can reshape objects, mold them into something else, similar to how you can convert your electrical abilities into ice abilities. He didn't heal my age, I healed my age. I manipulated my own DNA, down to the molecular level using cybernetics developed by the first sons so I could know what I was doing. You see Cole, I've made myself able to live longer. Granted soon even I will die of old age looking as if I were young but that is only because cells can only divide so many times before being unable to support vital functions such as blood transport, oxygen containment and other medical factors. Seriously though Cole, you should seek this man out. I don't know the extent of his power but perhaps he can undo what Kessler forced you to do. Tell me Cole, what if you could bring back Trish?"

Cole stared at him with a combination of surprise, awe and anger. Surprised at the concept of a truly all-powerful conduit, awe at Alden's abilities to halt or at least delay old age and anger that he would mention Trish, the bastard, no matter what his intentions are has no right to bring her up.

Cole then said "I made a choice to save those doctors so they could save hundreds if not thousands more. Trish knew the choice I made and she died loving me for it. I regret not being able to save her but even if I chose her over those doctors, Kessler would have killed her anyway. He burned his memories into my brain just before he died, he rigged Trish's crane to drop her if anyone tampered with it, even himself. There was no way I could save her." Alden replied "I'm well aware of Kessler's trap. But I'm not talking about going back to save her, you have the power to do that right now but you won't. I'm talking about bringing her back, here and now." Cole stared at Alden for a moment before looking at the unconscious Moya beside him before looking back at Alden and saying "If this conduit exists and if he's willing to do that, we'll see. But I've moved on, gotten over it as much as I could. Right now what is important is freeing Zeke and exposing Augustine." Alden smiled again and said "I agree. After you supposedly died your friend decided to do the unthinkable. He tracked the first sons down and asked to be allowed to help us. It changed how we saw others in a way, that an ordinary man would be willing to risk his life and freedom to help conduits. It changed my outlook as well. I won't deny once he saw me he became hostile but after he calmed down we came to an agreement. I funded him and he later took over the Militia that Bertrand used to control. Your sacrifice Cole changed them all and when it became clear Conduits were still around, instead of joining the military or DUP to hunt them down the Militia rallied around Zeke and other people you saved, both people in New Marais and refugees from Empire City. Today they are a thriving rebellion. Do as you wish to Moya as we already acquired the location of Zeke Dunbar. He is being held in Curdun Cay, the FBI transferred him to Augustine's authority after it became public knowledge that he was helping conduits flee to Canada where there is significantly less discrimination. A repeat of history it seems as he was using the old underground railroad that slaves used to escape to Canada hundreds of years ago. Curdun Cay is heavily fortified Cole and has substantially less sources of energy for you than this place. You will need the help of Delsin Rowe and the other escaped conduits. I will warn you however that until meeting you, Delsin abused his powers but now he seems to have stopped for the moment, he still shows no mercy against the DUP but is no longer harassing lifeline. You made an impression on the young man, perhaps you should continue to do so. I have your contact information, if I have something to help you, I will contact you."

Cole stared in disbelief as the first sons slowly disappeared as if having some type of cloaking tech or abilities and soon it was only him, Moya and Alden. Cole then said "Why help me Alden? As far as history goes we were enemies." Alden then says "I believe people deserve second chances Cole, but you, you're lucky. You have been given a third chance. Your second chance was given to you by Kessler and your third chance was given to you by me. I'm helping you because we have the same interests. We both want to see Zeke Dunbar free, we both want Brooke Augustine exposed to the world and without Moya, that may actually be possible. Kill her, imprison her or grant her mercy, it is your choice. My question to you is this. Do you believe she deserves a second chance, does she only deserve death or perhaps you should keep her contained until a time comes where justice can pass itself upon her. The choice is yours."

After those words had been said, Alden levitated himself, flying out the hole in the roof that Cole created.

Cole looked at Moya who had just woken up and was lying on her back, able to see Cole, her mouth was not taped or restrained and thus she could talk.

Moya said "From one hell to another it seems. You won't get anything out of me." Cole looked at her and said "I don't need to torture you, I could just leech you. But Alden already gave me Zeke's location, I'll be keeping you in a dark room incase Alden was full of crap. If Zeke isn't there then I'll have no choice but to take the knowledge I need, if he is then I'll keep you locked up until I expose Augustine and you. We'll let the public decide for once." Moya didn't reply, defiant in the face of the prime conduit who grabbed her by the arm and teleported out of sight, perhaps to find a place safe for her to be contained.

* * *

POV Shift - Fetch

* * *

Delsin and Fetch had just taken out the Drug Dealers non-lethally, called the cops to the area and freed some women who the dealers where holding hostage.

Soon Delsin left to find the other escaped conduit in the Lantern District and Fetch was alone for a moment.

Staring at the night sky after crouching down on the roof of a building overlooking the scene of the arrest she closed her eyes for a moment, saying softly "This was for you Brent."

A voice spoke from behind her, saying "Abigail, it's been a while." Fetch turned with a somewhat hostile face, sending a shot of Neon at the figure behind her.

The man waved his hand and redirected the Neon shot into the roof below them, thankfully none of the police noticed this and Fetch calmed down and said "Don't surprise me like that, give me a call ahead before you sneak up behind me."

Short Black Hair, dark brown eyes and a mix of Portuguese and Mexican lineage, he was between 5"7 and 5"8 (Five Feet & 7 Inches to Five Feet and 8 Inches) in height. About 24 years of age.

Fetch's expression as well as his own meant the two seemed acquainted at the least.

The man replied "Well it's kind of hard to send a phone call without it being traced by the DUP. As far as they know I'm an ordinary person. Besides, I needed to talk to you about something that's going down in Seattle."

Fetch replied "Ray if that's all you got for me then why bother, I already know the DUPs are turning the place into a police state." Ray replied "Uh, that is painfully obvious to anyone in Seattle at the moment. No I'm here because an organization known as the First Sons are now present in Seattle. I've never told you much about them but I was watching your private war on drugs and I must say I'm glad you've decided to change your tactics." Fetch shrugged and said "Yeah well when the Patron Saint of New Marais suggests a chance of pace you don't just say no outright."

Ray chuckled and replied "I think flipping someone off is the same as saying no outright." Fetch replied "You were watching?" Ray then said "Yeah, not directly but I was remote viewing the fight between you and Delsin and was surprised when Cole MacGrath joined the Party. In any case I'm here to collect that favor that you promised in exchange for helping you with the DUP back when you and Brent where on the run." Fetch sighed and said "So, what exactly are you asking for?".

Her tone of voice had the hint of being a flirt along with a slight approach towards Ray who simply replied "Join the First Sons. Alden Tate only has about three more years before he can no longer safely subdue his age, when that happens I'm to take control, it was the agreement for me giving him Cecil's location some time ago. I'll need people I can trust to be there as well and you're one of the people I trust."

Fetch shrugged and said "Any crazy initiations or anything?" Ray replied "Normally there would be but you could also prove your worth in general. I've spoken with Tate recently, he managed to at the least get MacGrath interested in joining the sons along with pointing him in Zeke Dunbar's direction so he can free the Militia leader. I need you to stay low and when the time is right, allow the DUP to capture you." Fetch replied "Whoa, wait a minute, why the hell would I let the DUP drag me to Curdun Cay?" Ray replied "Well I want you to put up a convincing fight but the main reason is because I intend to bring Curdun Cay apart. With you on the inside we can organize a breakout. Don't worry about their ability to suppress a conduit's power with concrete shackles and the like, I'll shatter any restraints once everything is in place. I'm not asking for you to do this now, but when I contact you. Along with Cole, Delsin and Eugene we can free the conduits there."

Fetch crossed her arms and said "Don't take this the wrong way, if it'll free them then I'll follow your lead but I want to know what your agenda is here." Ray replied "There's someone in Curdun Cay who is important to me, I want to free her. Like Cole she's a survivor of the RFI, she was knocked out for some time and when she awoke, she awoke inside Curdun Cay. I knew her before she developed powers but I wasn't in New Marais when it happened." Fetch replied "Sounds like something went on between you two." Ray shook his head and said "We shared common interests but we didn't develop feelings for eachother. Also she saved my life once, I owe her."

Fetch nodded and said "Well, buzz me when you need me." and with those words said she sped out of sight in a flash of Neon.

Ray smiled a bit and looked at the sky for a moment, saying to himself softly "Soon, so very soon." before disappearing in a small puff of black smoke though unlike Delsin's smoke dash, this was a teleport more similar to Cole's teleport but instead of a grey puff, it was a color that perhaps was Gunmetal and not pitch black or foggy like an actual burst of smoke.

This was a conduit who could manipulate Dark Matter and perhaps other sources of energy as well.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Afterword:

Hope you enjoyed this story. I want to explain a few things about Cole and the direction of the story (Warning, Spoilers for InFamous 1,2 and second son, though if you haven't played at least any of them I'm wondering why you're here as this isn't a crossover, the only reason you'd be here is for an InFamous fanfic.)

Cole's abilities are completely restored now, meaning he has his abilities from InFamous 1 as well as InFamous 2 as you may have noticed due to the return of Gigawatt Blades (My fave power of ALL the games, seriously, that power was awesome, It's something I wish they passed on to InFamous 2 though I recognize that technically they thought Cole didn't need them anymore because of the Amp. In this story I showed that they are infact still viable as they generate more power and heat than his amp ever did as I explained here his Calvary Sword (Which is designed to be superior to his Amp in every way) is weaker than his Gigawatt blades, furthermore he can amplify them with the power gauntlet, making them even more powerful, imagine six instead of three upgrade instances of Gigawatt blades. The first three being the first three and all their levels of increase unchanged. 4, 5 & 6 being twice as powerful as their immediate predecessor (4 twice as 3, 5 twice as 4 and 6 twice as 5.) By now Cole basically has fully upgraded them and if in gameplay, he would have focused on upgrading them to Level 6.

Cole's Bolt Rifle is a workaround the fact that Cole can't use guns because they explode when he holds them. This is because of gunpowder in the cartridges which is the only part of a conventional firearm that is combustible meaning if he started working on a gun without any bullets or combustible parts inside it at the time, he could modify it to his preference and in this case it's a makeshift lightning rod, he could have built a similar device from scratch but the fact that it looks like a gun and used to be one is the point as nobody would be able to say they don't know what it is. A quote from a Belltower Guard in Deus Ex: Human Revolution explains this reason.

"Everyone understands the universal language of a pointed gun."

Cole's power gauntlet is only a few years behind the gauntlet Kessler had in his design. I'm going to assume the gauntlet wasn't cosmetic and served as I explained it in chapter one, a backup battery and power amplifier. The cutscenes in InFamous 1 showed that he didn't have it when he used his time travel powers which means it was built in the past when Kessler joined the First Sons, likely as a means to increase his abilities. I'm going to assume that it was because of this gauntlet that Kessler was able to put up such a fight against his younger counterpart as a combination of a Ray Sphere detonation (or 2 if you played the evil route) supercharged Cole beyond Kessler's "Natural" conduit abilities.

Cole is getting more familiar and skilled with his powers including his ice powers. He's also evolving as he should be which means he will be getting Kessler's powers.

Teleportation is one example (and a reason Kessler was sometimes hard to keep an eye on in his boss fight in InFamous 1).

Duplicates and mirages (as well as shooting lightning from his chest instead of his hands) might appear in his skillset later.

Like Delsin, Cole can gain new powers from Core Relays, this is because they operate using Rayferiwhateverum (I can't remember what Kuo said it's scientific name was which is probably why Cole & Zeke just keep calling them Blast Shards and Blast Cores) or basically, blast cores.

So far he's gained an ice version of the thunder drop which is nonlethal, allowing him to take out hostiles clustered with civilians or ambush someone with a hostage without endangering the hostage.

Cole is just as good if not better as Zeke when it comes to making stuff to help him amplify his abilities.

As far as the story direction you can obviously see Cole is the good guy (But occasionally making evil choices such as Bio-Leech out of necessity but not to the extent of changing his karma level from Hero if this were a game.)

Not just the horribly done Cole's Legacy DLC being non-canon here but also I've looked up the comics and although they are interesting I wanted to put Moya and Alden here so technically either way this is an AU (It was beforehand as Cole basically gave his game's creators a Sucker Punch of his own in order to be the main protagonist once again according to this storyline.)

As obvious this story revolves mostly around Cole with Delsin and the others having secondary roles which is why I didn't show Delsin and Fetch operating against the drug dealers except after the "Redeem Fetch" option was forced on Delsin by Cole. Delsin is basically focused on getting Augustine's power and saving the Akomish by any means necessary (which eventually would lead to him being corrupted by his powers and thus the Evil Karma path) but Cole MacGrath is influencing to Delsin and although Cole isn't that old, he has enough influence to possibly be a father figure for Delsin or at the least a role model. It's also been evidenced here that Fetch and likely other conduits who saw past the propaganda see Cole as the Patron Saint of New Marais, not the Demon of Empire City. Also because of Moya and Augustine's actions, New Marais was almost entirely covered up and the Empire City incident was censored so as to only paint a bad picture for conduits, completely omitting the fact that Cole worked to help the city and instead only showed him as the one who detonated the Ray Sphere (Which is both correct and incorrect as Kessler and Cole were the same person)

Cecil (the Conduit from the Paper Trail missions) will be involved though her story won't be a long boring series of otherwise minor missions and investigations as that's for Delsin to do, Cole doesn't have to deal with that nonsense though she will be involved, a paper conduit is too good of an idea to waste away in a few poorly made bonus missions that act like they were made as UGC Missions in InFamous 2 (User Generated Content)

Because the Ray Sphere is no longer involved there's aren't any "Ionic Charges" to collect off of slain enemies, instead Cole now has to overcharge his body with electricity in order to use an Ionic Power (Which means he has to get close to an extremely powerful energy source such as a power grid station. Basically overcharging himself increases his abilities in addition to Blast Cores & Core Relays.) Bio-Leeching will do the trick also.

As the story progresses I might add an afterword to explain any new Powers Cole gets.

To end the afterword I'm interested in evolving Cole's character as well as his abilities as although he's lost a few years in his Coma he changed a bit during the timeskip from waking up in a DUP Prison in Empire City to arriving in DUP Occupied Seattle and I'm sure you're all gonna be asking the question "What new power is Cole gonna get this time?" as the story progresses.

'till next time -Kylandor


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Eugene & Cecil

"I was given powers to stop this change but now I stand at it's center. I have become the beast." - Cole MacGrath, alternate timeline

* * *

Foreword: I am aware of the DLC "Cole's Legacy" and consider it non-canon as it is a poorly crafted insult to InFamous fans everywhere. As such in this story and it's lines the DLC does not exist at any part of the line.

* * *

Cole looked around, Delsin was nowhere in sight. Tapping into DUP comms said that Augustine had captured him and a split second later they said something snatched him away.

Cole was in the Lantern District and using his heightened senses he detected faint electrical readings across the district flying about, they were not helicopters or planes but rather something similar to his own powers and as he noticed one of them which looked very much like a demon, several actually, striking a DUP convoy he grinned and said "Damn, should have bought a red trenchcoat. This is gonna be fun." and readied his Bolt Rifle, he seemed to have upgraded his gauntlet since his fight with Alden, replacing the batteries with blast shards from Delsin's previous rampage when he acquired Neon (And scattered the stuff all over) This meant Cole could store and charge his gauntlet five times as much and something about the gauntlet made him stare at it once he had his bearings. It was an exact duplicate of Kessler's Gauntlet by comparison. The very though that he was becoming like Kessler shuddered him, truth be told, given the exact same circumstances that is what would happen, because Cole and Kessler were the same person but Kessler had changed the past, Cole was achieving his level of power faster and had youth on his side whereas Kessler was an old man. Cole saw a streak of dark grey flashes across the rooftops, it looked similar to his own teleport but in a darker tone. It surely wasn't Delsin because his smoke dash Cole had seen, it was nothing like this. Instead of deciding to help the other conduit strike the DUP Convoy Cole teleported across the rooftops on his own to observe from a safe distance.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

* * *

There were angels and demons around the Lantern District, working together to fight the DUP and rescue suspected conduits. Whoever was doing this however lacked self esteem as they never directly appeared themselves. Ray's concern wasn't the DUP or the conduit right now, he was specifically looking for an Akuran informant who has information on his prize and he needs to get to the guy before Delsin or a Digital Demon comes across him first. Delsin Rowe had shown great promise but he was too brash and forward, often leaving behind a field of corpses when he fought the DUP. Ray sensed two conduits nearby, one hiding in a basement and the other was Cole MacGrath, Ray's senses were keener as he could send out signals on a frequency even Cole cannot access otherwise. Ray's own abilities meant many things if they could be harnessed by machines. Faster than light travel, terraformation, an end to any energy crisis. Aside from all of that which is the purpose of the first sons, to advance mankind through the abilities of conduits, Ray has his own agenda and he is not above killing to accomplish it.

Cole MacGrath was a Paragon by comparison, a true superhero who still recognized the need to take a life to save a life but in the end always working for the common good, accepting the philosophy of the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Delsin Rowe was a Renegade, acting only to accomplish his means and his sight was narrow and short, focused only on taking down Augustine so he could heal the Akomish at Salmon Bay, something Ray could do if he wanted to but it would man delaying too long.

Alden was a fanatical fool, believing Ray to be all-powerful, sadly that title was not for him. Sure he had absolute control over any form of energy and matter but this whilst powerful enough to outmatch the Beast, was nowhere near the power of the conduit he was searching for. The one imprisoned at Curdun Cay was just an informant, holding the whereabouts of another conduit, information that Augustine probably was either unaware of or eager to find out. He knows she would take that information to the grave but at the same time recognizes the implications of such power.

Fetch was, Fetch. She has had her uses several times though sometimes tried to get a little too close though those days were over, she was clean now and Cole MacGrath along with Delsin Rowe had helped keep her that way, he was thankful to the Paragon and Renegade.

Thoughts in mind he found his mark, a single Akuran shouting insults at people who pass by and Delsin Rowe was getting too close. Rowe was able to absorb abilities from most conduits but that was the thing, Ray was not like most conduits and he could reverse the process if Delsin tried it on him, instead of Delsin gaining access to Ray's powers, Ray would simply absorb significant energy from Delsin and his memories, though Ray already can manipulate Smoke and Neon if need be, he still had one weakness and one weakness alone.

He was impatient.

Forming a small black gas haze around his arms Ray darted forward like a missile, slamming between Delsin who was done listening to this Akuran and was about to kill him and of course, also between the Akuran, not harming the Akuran but hitting close enough to send Delsin back a few feet.

Delsin quickly got back up and said "Oh I definitely want some of that." Ray looked in Delsin's direction and his dark brown eyes shifted in color for a few seconds, becoming dark red until they faded back into normal color.

Ray then turned his attention to the Akuran, ignoring Rowe and said "The Cell number, now." The Akuran had gone from antagonistic prior to this incident to outright ready to wet himself and handed a piece of paper to Ray and ran immediately after though Ray immediately cut him down with a purple blast of energy which began to crackle like electricity in the Akuran, causing him to explode shortly afterwards.

Delsin was about to say something when other Akurans came out of hiding, opening fire. Ray then said "Have fun kid." and teleported out of sight, leaving Delsin to deal with the Akurans though frankly speaking, that was as easy as breathing for the Prime Conduit.

* * *

POV Shift - Cole MacGrath.

* * *

Cole had seen enough, this new conduit, whoever he was, wasn't likely to get along with Cole anytime soon and given his display of power he might be as strong as the Beast, Cole got that vibe somehow, he was able to accurately gauge the powers of a conduit and something unnerved him. When his eyes flashed red his power amplified itself momentarily, he was at least ten times as powerful to the aura the Beast gave off in that state. As strong as Cole had advanced, the only way he felt he would be strong enough was if he exposed himself to another blast from a Ray Sphere.

Cole proceeded towards a nearby holding pen after hearing some shouts for help and quickly dispatched nearby DUP with his Calvary Sabre and then broke open the lock, freeing several suspected conduits.

A fluttering sound made itself known and as Cole turned around, he saw a trail of paper with the aura that it was constructed by a Conduit. Cole had other concerns however at the moment, he had hacked into DUP communications again with his powers and it seemed there was a large convoy transporting suspected conduits nearby or rather would be nearby.

* * *

As time passed A convoy of vehicles was approaching Delsin Rowe who seemed to be focused on playing some video game on his phone, Cole was watching from a building higher up and smirked, thinking to himself "Kid's cocky I'll give him that."

As the convoy rolled over one section of the Highway it began to collapse, Delsin had destroyed the supports the day before and the Akuran he came across was just a stop along the way. Cole immediately darted forward in the air with a teleport and just as Delsin sat up to investigate, Cole slammed into a squad of DUP with a Comet Drop, freezing them without killing them.

Delsin walked up and said "Whoa, nice move. Think you could teach me that one later?" Cole shook his head slightly and said "You've been rescuing Suspected Conduits, busting Drug Dealers and that's progress but you could go easy on those Akurans, instead of killing them how about you find ways to shame them, leave them alive to reflect on how stupid they are. Pretty much the point of this move is to immobilize, not kill. Also I don't know if you could get it, had to drain a blast core." Delsin raised an eyebrow and asked "What's a blast core?"

Cole replied "A large purple crystal that's used to power those Core Relays the DUP have lying around. Where do you think you're getting your power boosts kid? It's from the crystal inside. I forget what Kuo called it exactly but it's a mouthful of a name, Rayfunium or something. Me and Zeke never bothered to memorize it."

Delsin nodded once and replied "Okay, so how about we team up on this one? I'm currently vamped up on Neon."

Cole nodded and replied "Sure kid, let's see what you can do. Truth be told though I was just showing off. DUP are fair game. Hit someone with a powerful shot at the same time I hit them, it'll amplify the effect of both our attacks."

Delsin replied "Cool, done it before?" Cole shrugged and said "Yeah, the fun times was with some chick called Nix, I almost took her idea to blow up a plantation once, decided to storm it with some cop support instead." Delsin replied "Right well they got friggin helicopters in the air here."

Cole walked forward a bit, charging electricity in his gauntlet and said "No problem, shot down a few in New Marais before, shot down a hell of a lot more in Empire City when the Military started firebombing everything under the media cover of 'Controlled Demolitions'. You wouldn't believe the shit people fall for."

The two conduits snickered at the last sentence and darted forward towards what remained of the convoy, the crash caused a lot of smoke in addition to a low fog already present, visibility was at least 10 feet for Delsin but Cole didn't seem to have any problems getting around, his senses were not just the usual five, his electrokinetic abilities made him a walking Radar dish.

DUP soldiers started exiting the APCs as the conduits approached, Cole Drew his Bolt Rifle and Delsin simply started firing Neon shots aimed at their heads as Cole took aim and began a rapid fire with his weapon, sending arcs of electricity at a pace similar to his old Alpha Bolt power.

Cole maintained a skirmishing distance whilst Delsin dashed in neon forward and sent a flow of the stuff through his chain, turning it into a flexible energy weapon and started slashing through the DUP at close range, dashing back when he seemed to be taking too much damage. Cole slung his rifle and drew his Calvary Sabre and teleported forward, slashing through the DUP with ease, having sharped and reinforced the blade since his encounter with Alden.

A helicopter slammed from the air and into the ground, something had destroyed it. Delsin shouted "Hey, I got one, don't know how but I got one!"

Cole shook his head as he decapitated a DUP Heavy and shouted "Wasn't you, there are a bunch of what appears to be Video based creatures up in the skies providing Air Support, I take it that other conduit can manipulate Digital Wavelengths and maintain them and give them solid for-"

Delsin shouted back as he blew up an APC with a Neon Missile, saying "In English!"

Cole replied "He can make TV and Video Games real!" Delsin whistled and replied "Damn, I so want that power!"

Cole rolled to the side to avoid a burst from a DUP soldier and threw his Calvary Sabre as a ranged weapon, causing it to impale the soldier in the heart, Cole then used a lightning tether in a reverse method, instead of pulling himself to the sword, he pulled the sword back to his hand. New powers and techniques not only came from Blast Cores but his tinkering with both new tactics and collecting blast shards had given him a new means to advance his abilities when a Core Relay wasn't around.

Sheathing his blade Cole teleported across and tore open the door of a transport bus, it was empty. No signs of blood told Cole that this Video Conduit was trying to save the potential conduits.

Cole spoke as Delsin got close, saying "From the looks of it our new friend is trying to rescue the potential conduits. How did you get the location of this convoy again?" Delsin shrugged and replied "Apparently I have a fan, he told me about this app that lets you track signals. I've been using it to locate the DUP."

Cole replied "Oh, that one. Listen kid, It's fine that you're making good use of it but be ready to toss that phone out, the First Sons are the ones who put it out. As far as the public and even the DUP know, that thing can only locate signals, not translate or decode them, that part is well hidden and if any white hat discovered that, they're keeping it to themselves or the sons are making them stay quiet."

Delsin replied "Okay, so who are these first sons?" Cole replied "Not surprising that you don't know. They're a secret organization comprised of either Conduits or Potential Conduits, they don't let normal people into their ranks and even the conduits that try to get in are taking a risk with their life, they don't tolerate any kind of security leak. They used to be run by a guy named Kessler, I killed him and now Alden seems to be running the show." Delsin replied "Whoa, whoa whoa, you killed this Kessler guy? It sounds like the first sons should be our allies." Cole pointed his finger at Delsin and said "They caused the blast that destroyed most of Empire City before the Beast showed up, the detonated the Ray Sphere and forced me to make a choice, save a group of doctors, or save my girlfriend. Either way Trish would have died because the bastard rigged it to go either way. I chose the doctors, I didn't know Trish's crane was rigged at the time but I knew I had to make a choice." Delsin replied "Why didn't you even try?"

Cole replied "Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I couldn't save her but I was able to bring her back for a short while, she thanked me for everything I had done for Empire City, she told me that I made the right choice in saving the doctors over her. It wasn't until I fried that son of a bitch Kessler that I realized the whole incident was rigged to kill Trish no matter what. Right now we need to focus on the task at hand and you need to step up your game. How do you think you're friends and family are going to react if all you do is start slaughtering everyone around you?"

Delsin was speechless, not only was Cole the kind of person who shouldn't exist in the world, an entirely selfless individual but also those words about Delsin's mission hit him hard. It made sense, Betty and the rest of the Akomish would most likely rather die than accept help from a murdering maniac. Delsin began to realize that if he didn't change, he wouldn't be a conduit, he would be a Bio-Terrorist.

Delsin nodded after pondering Cole's words for a moment and then said "Alright, you have a point. What should I do then? I've been helping out how I can with taking out drug dealers and freeing suspected conduits. What's left?"

Cole replied "I'll give you that answer when we're done with this video conduit."

* * *

Time passed as Cole and Delsin cleared the bridge and inspected the busses. Eventually Cole provided support against the DUP as Delsin tracked down the Video Conduit in a basement and after a prolonged battle, and a slightly heated conversation with Reggie, Delsin decided to help Eugene learn how to build the courage to help save suspected conduits.

* * *

Cole was waiting on top of a skyscraper as Delsin appeared after smoke dashing through a vent. Delsin spoke, saying "So, that's all of them. What next?"

Cole held out his hand, saying "Just one more power, I got a few blast cores I decided not to drain, enough to get you secure with these new powers and some blast shards to help catch up."

Delsin stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his hand, Cole's memories and powers began to flow into Delsin.

"I was just an ordinary guy, delivering packages to people you've never heard of and never met, then one day, a package found me."

"The blast destroyed the Historic district, I survived but was changed as a consequence, At the time there was no awareness on conduits, there were no experts to consult, I had to learn everything on my own. I eventually found the bastard responsible for all that destruction, Kessler. He showed me a vision of the future, a Beast of unimaginable power, consuming everything in it's path, leaving nothing behind. He also burned a final message into my brain, that he and I were the same person. He had used his most dangerous and most powerful ability to make a one way trip back in time. He joined the first sons, seized control and accelerated the development of the Ray Sphere, he spent years gathering information, learning, finding me. He sacrificed everything so that he could mold me into the savior he failed to become. He sacrificed his sanity, his wife and even his own life just to give me the power to stop that change. I met Lucy Kuo not long after the Military gave up their firebombing campaign and left Empire City a no man's land, it was a city state, I was it's protector, I stood against everyone who tried to threaten it, gangs, mobs, the government and other conduits who used their powers for evil. Preparing to head to New Marais to grab more power it came, the Beast. Despite everything that had happened, all the power I gained, it wasn't enough, it bested me, broke me, humiliated me and destroyed Empire City just after I got knocked out. I only found out later on the boat by watching the news. The Media couldn't cover up the Beast, no matter how much they tried. I did a lot of things in New Marais, beat the shit out of some redneck anti-conduit militia, exposed their leader Joseph Bertrand to the world, he was a conduit yet he claimed to be striking to purify New Marais all so he could increase his own power, wealth and influence. Then the time came for me to face the beast once more. Me and Zeke sent a nuke at the damn thing, only slowed it down and instead of just vaporizing New Marais, the Beast disappeared. Turned out that John White, an NSA agent I worked with in Empire City to hunt down the Ray Sphere prior to facing off against Kessler was the Beast, and that he was a conduit. He could activate massive explosion like that which destroyed Empire City in various degrees of strength, activating potential conduits, acting as a living Ray Sphere but killing the humans around them in the process. There was a plague going on, this was the only evidence of a cure but eventually the RFI was charged and after I activated it, I fell unconscious. When I woke in a prison in a rebuilt Empire City 4 years ago I realized that the RFI had done what it was supposed to do. It cured to plague but killed almost half the conduit population as a result, Conduits who were affected but were extremely powerful were merely knocked into a coma, like I was. Again a future self of mine is directing me here in Seattle and has been ever since I woke up to this hell. This is my warning to you Delsin Rowe, stay on the good path or risk starting a war neither side can win."

Delsin had collapsed after draining that power, Cole was still standing, having become used to sudden overcharges or drains after absorbing the blast cores in New Marais. Cole set three blast cores and 12 blast shards in a metal container next to Delsin who got up, nodded and began absorbing the energies, charging and amplifying his powers.

Cole got a buzz on his phone and answered it as Delsin was absorbing the last blast core.

A voice spoke on the other end, saying "Fetch and Eugene were captured by the DUP, notify Delsin and help him break them out, they were taken somewhere different than the DUP were supposed to, Augustine probably caught on."

Cole replied "Who is this?" The voice replied "Raymond Zenji, the conduit who atomized that Akuran. I was aware of your presence the entire time Cole."

Cole sighed and replied "Let me guess, you were planning to trigger a breakout." Ray replied "Indeed, I can do it either way but unfortunately the DUP caught on and fed me misinformation. I can't wait any longer, I only chose this route to try and avoid unnecessary bloodshed but now it seems I'll have to break into Curdun Cay on my own."

Before Cole could reply, Ray hung up. Cole turned to Delsin who asked "Who called?"

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

* * *

Ray teleported next to another Conduit on a roof looking towards the USTV Tower, it's roof having been repaired since Cole's initial assault.

The other conduit was at least 17 years old and had a paper mask shaped like a rabit's face in her hand, her face revealed. She was Japanese, had brown eyes and short blonde hair.

Ray spoke, saying "Cecil, what are you doing here?" Cecil replied as she put on the paper mask, saying "I want to help, I now know it's not necessary for Curdun Cay to exist for our kind to survive, I can help." Ray sighed and said "Alright, but I'm not responsible for your life. You fall behind, you're on your own."

Cecil nodded and moved towards the ground and began attacking the DUP as Ray jumped forward and materialized from a black mist a Bastard Sword and slammed into the midst of several DUP soldiers, causing a burst of purple electricity to cackle across the area around him only to detonate a second later in a purple explosion of energy which seemed to temporarily cause the corpses around him to defy gravity before the ones that weren't vaporized fell back to the ground, gravity taking root once more.

Ray dashed at inhuman speeds towards the remaining army of DUP around the building, security had been heavily reinforced and it seemed Cecil was caught offguard from this, she was ducking behind an APC with several gunshot wounds that were taking their sweet time healing, unlike Delsin, Cole and Ray's healing factors, hers was not as fast.

Ray moved with the Bastard Sword at a pace that the ordinary human's naked eye couldn't perceive well, slashing through them like a hot knife through butter as purple electricity cackled through the blade, Ray was moving fast enough to deflect gunfire as a Minigunner made himself known and in vain attempted to perforate the Prime Conduit.

Ray teleported behind the Minigunner and quickly slashed through him as his eyes began to shimmer a dark red tone, his sword and reflexes moving fast enough that the Minigunner was in 12 pieces before gravity and kinetic energy decided to take effect. Ray fired what seemed to be a pressurized burst of air from his free hand (His abilities letting him operate a Bastard Sword with only one hand) at a group of DUP trying to flank him, the result was the DUP levitating in air, defying gravity and being disoriented before Ray turned to face them and send a burst of red energy from his sword which caused a thermobaric reaction in the cluster of DUP, killing them and leaving their bodies burned beyond recognition, their armor fused with the flesh due to the intense heat rising to over 3000 Celcius in a tenth of a second if not faster.

Ray darted towards the building's front door, recharged his abilities off the electrical fencing and sliced through the concrete with a blast of what seemed to be Dark Energy as anything it hit began to ignore the laws of gravity for a short while. (Dark Energy being a repulsing force whilst Gravity is an attracting force.)

* * *

Cecil seemed to have ran off, knowing she was biting off more than she could chew as Ray continued to clear floor after floor of DUP.

Regulars, Heavies and Minigunners offered little to no resistance but Officers and Enhanced Heavies were able to actually get a hit or two on Ray, his abilities being the result of the heavily electrified air around him caused by the electrical fencing, like Cole, this tower gave him the power of a god.

Ray eventually made it into the expanded basement of Curdun Cay where the detention cells were located, he was after Cell E306.

Encountering three DUP officers and three Enhanced Heavies he realized Augustine was desperate to stop him. Ray overcharged his Bastard Sword which caused an arc of purple energy similar to a beam of Neon but not comprised of Neon to form around the blade, becoming the external visual representation of his weapon.

Ray teleported behind one of the officers before he could raise a concrete field to protect himself and was instantly cut in half from top to bottom, the cut area instantly fused and cauterized. The other DUP in the room began a relentless coordinated barrage of boulders and slags to try and overwhelm Ray only for him to form a defensive barrier around him which absorbed the attacks like a shield though after the onslaught it was visibly cracked just before it faded as Ray teleported behind two officers and an enhanced Heavy and with one slash, sliced through all of them without resistance, the remaining Enhanced Heavies tried to retreat only for Ray to clench his left hand after letting go of the grip of his blade (His strength allowed him to use it one handed or two handed) and then rose it up as if commanding something to rise from the ground and indeed a fitting end for the DUP occurred as slags of concrete slammed up sharp enough to be perfect swords, without expanding and cracking, the result was a sight that Vlad the Impaler would be proud of as the slags went straight up from the bottom, impaling the retreating DUP Enhanced Heavies and killing them instantly as the slags expanded inside their bodies but not leaving them, impaling every organ in their body, vital or secondary meaning bladder, kidneys, lungs, adrenal glands, appendix, liver, heart, brain, etcetera, ectetera.

Ray reached his destination with no further resistance, Augustine either decided to value the lives of her DUP officers suddenly or more likely, they ran, their fear of Ray greater than their fear of Augustine which should be expected as they seemed to have no effect on Ray whatsoever.

Ray looked into the cell to find exactly who he was looking for.

Lucy Kuo.

Ray simply tore off the bars with his bare hands and sent a small burst of dark energy across the restraints, shattering them without harming Kuo who was now stretching her fingers and hands as they had been bound for at least 7 years.

Lucy got up and said "Still looking for that girl are you?" Ray nodded and said "Either you can keep your end the deal we made in New Marais before the Beast showed up or I can drain you for the knowledge." Lucy sighed and said "You have no idea what you're messing with, even though you have absolute command over any form of matter and energy you still can't control time and space. This girl hasn't aged for over 100 years, just exactly why are you interested in her only now?"

Ray replied "Because she can stabilize my powers. I haven't told anyone his yet so listen well. My powers are becoming more unstable, I was exposed to the Ray Sphere over 50 times and not to mention having been in the presence of the Beast's own ray field detonation three times. In about eight years my body won't be able to contain the amount of dark energy I've stored and the result will be an explosion that not only takes out everything in a 500 mile radius but also nullifies gravity in a 100 mile radius for six months. I am a walking time bomb, Kessler was the one who told me what would happen and I am well aware of who he was. His predictions always came true because he used a dangerous power to make a one way trip back in time, which is why most of his predictions came to pass."

Kuo stared at Ray in both shock, disbelief and fear. Kuo then said "The girl transferred her powers to someone else without their knowledge about a year ago. Surprisingly enough I only realized this because I saw that display of power in someone who used to be here in Curdun Cay."

Ray replied "Who?" Kuo replied "Abigail Walker, better known as Fetch."

Ray sighed and immediately disappeared in a burst of the black mist his dark matter manipulation generated. Kuo was not left out to dry however as she formed ice across her hands, ready to fight her way out if necessary.

* * *

To be continued...


End file.
